Campaigning on Climate: A Study of Environmental Political Action Communications and How They can be Applied to the Penn State Board of Trustees Elections

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Sneddon, Molly
Area of Honors:
Marketing
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Peter Dawson Buck, Thesis Supervisor
Jennifer Chang Coupland, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Political Campaigns
Climate Change
Climate Action
Social Media
Abstract:
The objective of this thesis is to analyze digital climate communications to identify trends and strategies to apply to the Penn State Forward campaign. Though there is notable research around climate change communications, this thesis seeks to understand how to apply strategies and recommendations to university elections, specifically for the Penn State Board of Trustees. To accomplish this, I used the Moral Foundations Theory and qualitative analysis to identify four categories of campaign communications styles: Rage Against the Machine, Bold Systemic and Institutional Change Advocates, Behavior Change, and Sustainability as a Value. Finally, I used these learnings to develop a campaign playbook for Penn State Forward outlining a full climate candidate’s campaign.